Unlikely Allies, Unlikely Romance
by FlowerofAdversity
Summary: Note: Before I receive any flames from purists, let it be known that this is a fanfic that I was asked to do. If you don’t like it, please don’t review it.


Unlikely Allies, Unlikely Romance

Note: Before I receive any flames from purists, let it be known that this is a fanfic that I was **asked** to do. If you don't like it, please don't review it.

Couplings

Amelia/Zelgadis

Sylphiel/Valgaav

Filia/Phibrizzo

Xellos/Kira

Prince Phil/L-Sama

Lina/Gravos

Gourry/Laila

Martina/Zangalus

Chapter 1—I Refuse to be Protected !

Lina and her troupe were on yet another quest for new treasure and rare items. As usual, Lina had a one track mind when it came to such matters. Her newest obsession was an incredibly rare item known as the Unicorn's Horn. Not only was it a priceless relic crafted out of an actual Unicorn's horn, but also it was covered in jewels. It was a very powerful magic staff that could be used for healing, recovery as well as defense shields against Dark Magic. Its other abilities were unknown and that gave Lina even _more_ reason to go searching for it. But, she hadn't counted on Martina following her. Martina had been a thorn in Lina's side for so long as she could remember. Martina wanted the Unicorn's Horn as well, but she had never had any luck when it came to obtaining treasure. Even when she _had_, she always managed to leave it behind somewhere, misplace it, or generally lose it. So long as she stayed away from Lina, Lina didn't really give a fig whether Martina was going along with them or not.

During the night, the team had to stop and set up camp for the night. Gravos, the half-dragon, Xellos, Valgaav and Gourry had gone to gather kindling and firewood. Zelgadis, who was usually quiet and serious, made certain that a slightly injured Amelia was doing well. She had accidentally sprained her left ankle during the journey through a mountainous area and she was healing nicely, but she still had to keep the ankle wrapped. Kira, one of the youngest members of the group besides Phibrizzo (who had since repented, but still kept the title Hellmaster), thought it was endearing to see Zelgadis being so attentive to Amelia's needs. She had never seen Zelgadis so demonstrative in his affection for her. Usually, he was quiet and unassuming but he always made certain that she was going to be safe from danger. She had done the same for him many times in the past and he would continue doing so for so long as she lived.

After eating and falling asleep under the stars, Laila had put out the fire using her abilities over water. Lina and the gang had left and had begun following a map that Prince Phil had brought along with him from Syrune. Oddly the map was accurate and they were assured that they were now heading in the right direction. However, they didn't know that villainous monsters too had been informed of the Unicorn's Horn and wanted to corrupt it (if such a thing was possible) and had been sent out to steal the map from them.

Before they had reached their destination to a place called Nyugenmar, a hoard of gargantuan monsters surrounded them. They would take the map that Prince Phil had by any means necessary. Many of them had taken Lina against her will before anyone could stop them. She tried casting a spell but couldn't because the leader of the monsters kept his beefy hand clamped over her mouth. She refused to be protected but Gravos wasn't about to comply with her demands. After all, he liked her and was willing to do anything for her. It didn't matter that he had been under the influence of the Dragon Slave. He truly did care about her and wanted to save her from these beasts. A lovely Filia, a sumptuous L-Sama and a darling Syphiel had distracted the beasts while Gravos was able to pry her from the massive arms of the leader.

At first, she was surprised by the gesture and was touched. Thanks to Phibrizzo though, the monsters had been dispatched immediately. "You can thank me later.", he said arrogantly.

Chapter 2—Nyugenmar

Nyugenmar was a quaint place with lots of people. There was plenty of hustle and bustle and the marketplace was full. Of all places, the Horn was located in one of those booths.

Lina was becoming hungry and impatient and wanted to find the Horn as soon as she could and stop by the closest restaurant. Gravos promised her a large meal and intended to make good upon his promise.

Each of the members of Lina's group had begun searching each booth to see which vendor had the Unicorn Horn. Kira, the youngest, had found an old man who had fallen asleep on the job with mostly garbage for sale. Yet, amongst all the garbage was the unbelievably stunning Horn. Kira tugged on the elder's sleeve, hoping to get his attention. He only continued to snore and enjoy whatever dream he was having. Kira began to pout and then had an idea. She gently shook the elder and he finally awoke. The rest of the members, including the riffraff Martina, noticed that Kira had been able to make some progress in purchasing the horn. Lina was becoming eager to have the Horn in her possession and then sit down for a long-overdue meal. More than likely the food offered in this area would be exotic and delicious and she could hardly wait. She was almost salivating but had remained ladylike throughout everything.

After some long conversation, Kira had purchased the Horn and given it to Lina. Lina thanked the elder and especially Kira, patting her on the head. Kira loved the attention and was pleased she could assist Lina and her friends once more, but was even happier to be close to Xellos. Despite the fact that he was a monster and supposedly didn't have any capacity for emotions, he had grown quite fond of the pink-haired princess. Kira knew this quite well and was happy that she was thought of as a companion and girlfriend, but Xellos wasn't about to tell anyone else about his love for her. That, as he often said, was a secret and a secret he only shared with her.

Despite all the satisfied sounds Lina made, she and her group had shared a relatively quiet meal. What they didn't realize was the fact that some unknown villains that were pirates were watching them. These pirates were trying to make a name for themselves and weren't having much luck striking fear into anyone's hearts. Their leader, Captain Scallywag wasn't very bright and his manner of dress usually left their so-called "victims" in stitches. This time would be different than all the other times, but they didn't realize they were dealing with powerful sorcerers, magicians, and the Lord of Nightmares herself. Talk about horrible timing.

Chapter 3—Why Does It Always Have to be the Hard Way ?

Lina and her troupe left Nyugenmar and had decided to stick together before separating towards their places of origin. Something inside Lina was telling her to be careful. Her female intuition was always right and she had been correct once again when Amelia pointed out pirates following them lagging behind by only a few minutes.

"Why are you following us ? If it is to steal the Horn from us, you'd better think again. We won't stand for that !", a completely healed Amelia said, arms akimbo. Scallywag laughed dumbly and placed his hand behind his head. He had forgotten momentarily what he was after but had admitted he and his crew were after the Unicorn Horn. Lina shook her head back and forth. She thought this was ridiculous. She didn't really want to teach these unknown pirates a lesson, but L-Sama wanted to teach them a lesson without using violence. She made them all forget what they had been looking for and they turned around to go back into Nyugenmar to wherever they had initially been before.

"That was brilliant, L-Sama.", Phil said, endearingly. L-Sama had a weakness for compliments, especially sincere ones. Even Phil could see that she was blushing lightly. Martina who was hoping that Lina would've been distracted by the buffoonish pirates, tried to take the Horn from her when she wasn't looking.

"No chance in hell, Martina.", Lina said, smirking.

"Damn !", Martina swore silently. Then she had remembered she had to return to her husband Zangalus. She had missed him, and he wouldn't have mattered whether she returned with the Horn or not. She had said farewell to the others and began her trek towards her hometown. In as much as the group feigned to admit it, it would be quieter without her around trying to sneak away with Lina's treasure.

Chapter 4—The Incredible Unicorn Horn

After the rest of the troupe had returned to their homelands together, Lina was trying to discover what the other attributes the Horn possessed. She tried chanting different spells that came on a piece of paper purchased with the relic. The Horn could transport her to different locations, including other dimensions. This could be very useful in future quests. She knew that her friends would always be by her side to help her on the way. She was also glad that she had someone like Gravos with her to protect her from harm. He had been the only dragon (even half dragon) besides Filia who had never been spooked by her. She knew that his feelings were sincere and that it wasn't the Dragon Slave that fueled his wanting to be by her side. It was the feelings of compassion he had and wanted to hold on to for so long as he breathed.

Not only was the Horn amazing and astonishingly powerful, it made a marvelous accessory. It would accompany anything Lina wore, and she even allowed her girlfriends to borrow it if they needed it for a formal event. The golden dragon Filia had to go to a dance one night and she needed it to accent the hilt of her dress. Knowing she would give it back, Lina allowed her to borrow it, thinking it made her look even more beautiful than before (if such a thing was possible). Even the Hellmaster had to admit that he found her stunning. Despite the fact that they looked like a very odd couple indeed, the Hellmaster's real age complimented Filia's. She was older by an extra eon. Syphiel had been hosting the dance and would be accompanied by Valgaav, who had mellowed since his last encountered Lina's spells. She had since learned thanks to Filia's arrival that she had been invited to the ball as well.

Chapter 5—Party Crashers ?

Lina wasn't surprised to see all of her friends, old and new at the ball. As expected, Syphiel looked ravishing. She was surprised to see Laila in formal garb but she was stunning.

She was one of the few merpeople who had been invited to the dance but she blended well with the rest of the eclectic crowd that was present.

The gala event was progressing wonderfully until the buffoonish pirates had entered again.

"Why can't I have a normal party for once ?", Syphiel thought to herself. Valgaav was becoming irate very rapidly and had trouble containing his temper. Obviously, Captain Scallywag had remembered that he had been after the Unicorn Horn and had come to claim his prize by any means necessary. He and his crew had swords to threaten the guests but he wasn't making any progress. Scallywag found the Horn on Filia's hip and tried removing it, to which he was treated to the worst possible beating of his life. She hit him across the room with her mace like a master baseball VIP. Valgaav was glad he didn't have to teach the pirates a lesson himself but he had taken care of escorting them out of the palace. L-Sama knew she would have to perform a more powerful memory eraser spell. This time, they would completely forget that they had even been at the ball or what they had planned to do. They would resume whatever course of action they had been perusing. After they were shipped away (quite literally), the ball continued without any further disruptions and all who had been invited had a tremendous time.

Epilogue  Lina had been pleased to have the Horn back in her capable hands. She could use it for any number of things she wished to do in the future. Speaking of the future, she had recently received an invitation to Martina's baby shower. Lina was very pleased that Martina was going to be a mother. She wouldn't be surprised if she named the child Zomulgustar if the child was male. Hopefully the baby would be female so it could be given a proper name. But even if the baby was female, she could name it Zoey and there wouldn't be any questions about it. 

Even though Martina had always harbored a feeling of resentment, hatred and general dislike for Lina, she had to admit that there were many situations that would have prevented her from ever marrying her beloved Zangalus and becoming a mother. She didn't want to confess that she admired Lina and that she was blessed to call her an ally, but it was only an act to fool outsiders. She was pleased to give Martina encouragement, which touched her deeply. Martina held back her tears of joy and gave her an unexpected embrace. Truly, it was a new dawn and their friendship had been made stronger.

The End

May 7, 2005


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